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The Charger is seen as an example of abject failure in BattleMech design. Wells Technologies originally wanted to produce an ultra-heavy scout 'Mech for the Star League Defense Force that was not only fast but could survive contact with the enemy. This was done by building the Charger on an 80-ton frame, making it the heaviest scout 'Mech in existence, and powering it with a massive LTV 400 fusion engine that took up almost sixty percent of the Charger's mass. With a top speed which allowed it to outrun most other 'Mechs the Charger was then given ten tons of heavy Durallex armor, enough to survive repeated hits from an Autocannon/20. However these features left very little room for offensive capability, an intentional deficiency on the part of the design team as they saw any task other than gathering data a distraction.[4][3]

This was to be the 'Mech's downfall, as its popgun laser array proved to be quite laughable, capable of little more than fighting infantry and light combat vehicles. Its armoring, while respectable, could not stand up to sustained punishment, which meant if the 'Mech got too close to heavy combat or trapped by superior numbers it could be shot to pieces. When the Charger debuted in 2665 it quickly became derided as "a light 'Mech trapped in an assault's frame" and the Star League quickly withdrew it from use; Wells Technologies eventually found itself wallowing in over a thousand Chargers which no one now wanted to buy. In an odd twist of fate, the fall of the Star League and the start of the First Succession War would save the company and the Charger. Desperate for any 'Mech they could get their hands on, the Draconis Combine bought the Charger in large numbers and established a long-term contract with the company.[4][3]

During the long attritional warfare of the Succession Wars era the Charger proved to be a reliable, low-maintenance 'Mech useful in rear areas and for garrison duty on low-tech worlds, especially in the Periphery. In its limited frontline engagements this close-assault 'Mech proved itself deadly against smaller recon elements like Wasps and Stingers and any machine whose main armament was already destroyed. Its greatest successes often came in less orthodox roles such as counter-insurgency operations. By 3025 nearly five hundred of the original thousand Chargers were still in use, largely with the Combine but also in the other Great Houses too. This was mainly due to battlefield salvage and black-market trading, the latter of which Wells itself took part in due to export restrictions placed on it by the Combine. The company was eventually bought out by its license-holder Luthien Armor Works in 3027 after the discovery of this underhanded dealing, and production of the original Charger ceased altogether in 3030.[4][3]

In the devastating aftermath of the Fourth Succession War however, the Combine once again needed 'Mechs to replace its losses, and the Coordinator himself ordered LAW to produce a 'Mech which would act as a symbol of the Combine's might. The resulting crash program to produce the Hatamoto-Chi gave LAW the ability to rework the Charger line using rediscovered technology, allowing them to produce "new" assault 'Mechs in half the time through a major modification program rather than starting from scratch. These new Charger variants debuted in time to meet the Clan Invasion, and while still close-in brawlers their varied weaponry and advanced technology made them far superior. Success with the revamped designs was such that by 3068 every Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery unit had at least one new Charger in its inventory, though with the loss of LAW's Luthien plant production on the CGR-3K model ceased and many had moved on to the newer CGR-SA5 model. Some of the original Chargers are still used as labyrinthine fighters by backwater stables on Solaris VII.[5]

Because the designers of the Charger wanted to discourage any activities that would put the 'Mech in danger, the engineers at Wells Technologies equipped the Charger with five Magna Mk I Small Lasers, mounted in its arms, torso and head. As these leave the 'Mech dangerously undergunned, arguably its most potent weapons are its fists; if the Charger is able to close the distance and get within hand-to-hand combat, it is more than capable of pounding to pieces other 'Mechs, especially lightweight ones.[4]

The 1A5 variant of the Charger is one of the first variants of the Charger made to take it from the role of scout to assault 'Mech. A Capellan modification to the CGR-1Ls they received as part of the Kapteyn Accords, the engine has been downgraded to a 320 version, which reduces the maximum speed of the 'Mech to 64.8 km/h, and and four of the small lasers have been removed. In their place is a Tomodzuru Autocannon/20 as its primary weapon, two Bical SRM-6 launchers and an Argra 3L Medium Laser, while the 'Mech's armor has been increased by five tons. This makes the CGR-1A5 extremely dangerous at close ranges and gives it a speed comparable to most 'Mechs in the heavy weight class, while carrying armor on par with other eighty-ton 'Mechs.[6] BV (1.0) = 1,128, BV (2.0) = 1,458[7]

CGR-1A9

A Combine-LAW attempt to make the Charger more effective at long ranges, the 1A9 uses a reduced 320-rated engine, lowering its top speed 64.8 km/h, and its arsenal has also been overhauled with the removal of four of the five small lasers, allowing for the instillation of four medium lasers and a single LRM-20 launcher. To make up for the lost mobility, four jump jets were also installed to allow the Charger to jump up to one hundred and twenty meters. This variant was fielded in time to surprise the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns during the War of 3039, but in years since fell into the hands of the Outworlds Alliance thanks to a legal snafu which gave Ravenna Electronics a production license. BV (1.0) = 1,315, BV (2.0) = 1,397[7]

CGR-1L

An export model sold to the Capellan Confederation as part of the Kapteyn Accords, the CGR-1L was a simple modification of the Charger in an attempt to make it more effective following their disastrous use on Chara in 3023. In place of four and a half tons of armor and all five Small Lasers, the -1L mounts a Large Laser and two medium lasers. While more prone to overheating and less protected, mounting armor comparable to that of a traditional scout 'Mech, it was better capable of defending itself against other scout 'Mechs, and in the desperate mindset of Capellan Confederation Armed Forces warriors that was good enough. Since then the CGR-1L has remained in Cappellan service as a training 'Mech and, according to rumor, punishment assignment for dissident soldiers. BV (1.0) = 772, BV (2.0) = 980[8]

CGR-2A2

A Periphery modification of the Charger, the 2A2 has had a ton of armor removed and its weapons stripped out. In their place, the 2A2 carries a medium laser and five Rocket Launcher 10s. This modification gives the Charger an immense amount of firepower that can be used in one shot or over the course of a battle. With the Charger's role as a heavy scout, the one-shot nature of the Rocket Launchers is not as much of a hindrance as if they were placed on a dedicated assault 'Mech. BV (1.0) = 944, BV (2.0) = 1,109[8]

CGR-3K

House Kurita's 3K is an upgrade of the 1A9 that uses an XL engine to maintain the Charger's speed of 86.4 km/h. The 'Mech is armed with four Medium Pulse Lasers and an LRM-20 launcher with an Artemis IV fire control system. The Mech also has a jumping distance of up to one hundred and fifty meters. This variant was confirmed to have been deployed on An Ting in the War of 3039 and may have been what Davion forces initially dubbed the Charger II; however, descriptions of the Charger II suggest that it was more likely a LRM-equipped variant of the Hatamoto-Chi (presumably the -Kaze). BV (1.0) = 1,485, BV (2.0) = 1,656[5]

An upgrade of the 3K, the Charger C is modified to carry a C3 Slave unit that allows it to share targeting data with other 'Mechs in its unit. In order to add the slave unit, a Medium Pulse Laser had to be removed from the design. The left over mass goes towards extra ammunition. BV (1.0) = 1,479[11], BV (2.0) = 1,592[8]

CGR-KMZ

The "Kamikaze" variant is produced at a Luthien Armor Works plant on Shimonita that was purchased by the Sapphire Sunset yakuza clan and renamed Sapphire Metals. It has a top speed of 64 km/h, but utilizes improved jump jets that allow it to leap up to 180 meters. It also utilizes Light Ferro-Fibrous armor. It primarily has a long-range armament composed of two Light PPCs and a Heavy PPC. An MML 9 has two tons of ammunition, allowing it to be effective at both short and long range. Should an enemy manage to close, the "Kamikaze" carries a Sword in the shape of a wakizashi. BV (2.0) = 1,781[8]

CGR-SA5

A variant of the Charger that takes the 1A5 variant to its logical conclusion with new technologies, the SA5 is powered by a 320 rated Light Fusion Engine, giving it a speed of 64.8 km/h, while a MASC system has been added allowing the 'Mech to reach speeds of 86.4 km/h in short bursts. The 'Mech is also built on an Endo Steel chassis to save even more weight. The SA5 carries an LB-X Autocannon/20 as its primary weapon. This is backed up by three ER Medium Lasers and two Streak SRM-6 launchers. The 'Mech is protected by fifteen and a half tons of armor. BV (1.0) = 1,613[12], BV (2.0) = 2,003[8]

CGR-SB "Challenger"

This radical modification looks to turn the Charger into a traditional assault 'Mech by reducing the 'Mechs speed to 54 km/h, which allows the use of a smaller engine (incidentally, the commonplace Pitban 240 reactor). The 'Mech is armored with fifteen and a half tons of armor and is armed with four Large Lasers and a Medium Laser, kept cool by twenty-eight heat sinks.According to its backstory as presented in BattleTechnology magazine, issue #0202 (not counted among the canonical sources at this time, and as such apocryphal) the CGR-SB variant , called Challenger by its designers, was devised in 3025 by Stuart Bell, chief Tech of the mercenary unit Hat-in-the-Ring Battalion. The SB modification concept is remarkable because it is not particularly difficult to apply, using a common and well-known reactor type in the refit and essentially only upgrading the existing weapons so that the targeting system needs not be tampered with.The CGR-SB is fully canonical by virtue of being included in BattleTech Record Sheets Volume Four: Assault 'Mechs, albeit under the name "CGR-SB Charger" and with an introduction year of 2665 like the original Charger. The designation "Challenger" has since been canonized by the Master Unit List, and its introduction date was corrected to 3025.[8] BV (1.0) = 1,330, BV (2.0) = 1,604[8]

According to BattleTechnology, The Challenger subtype in turn saw attempts at modification, such as mounting a Donal PPC in the right arm and/or a LRM-15 launcher in the torso. However, these modifications are quite difficult and tend to overtax the Challenger's Dalban HiRez targeting system.

Used by MechWarrior Timothy Storrs of the Black Widow Battalion since after 3 October 3032, this modified 'Mech seems to be a CGR-SB Challenger with missing components. It has the same armor layout and speed as a CGR-SB, but is missing the large laser from the left torso and three heat sinks. Consequently, the 'Mech as described is eight tons underweight (possibly from combat damage or a botched modification). MechWarrior Storrs appears with no indication that his Charger was modified in the unit's 3031 roster and in a scenario dated 3 October 3032, while the modification is described in a scenario dated 3 March 3033 and referenced again in a scenario dated 28 March 3033; Storr and his Charger are also listed on the Black Widow Training Battalion roster after 3037, though without mentioning a modification. BV (2.0) = ???[14]

Hatamoto-Chi - The HTM (Hatamoto) series of assault BattleMechs created by the Draconis Combine is essentially a redesign of the Charger, with a rebuilt chassis and a weapon load-out based on the Thug.[17] The Hatamoto-Chi was the first variant created, and is considered the standard configuration.